Meet Breast Cancer Grad- Starla Smith
Name: Starla Smith
Age at Enrollment: 41
Major: Breast Cancer Stage 3A
What were the primary symptoms you experienced prior to diagnosis? A rubbery lump that I thought was a cyst because it would change in size at that time of the month. Also had a couple of breast exams at doctors appointments and no one thought it was anything. (I know! I know! I should have known better and not stuck my head in the sand.)
“I should have known better and not stuck my head in the sand.”
What symptom(s) lead you to go to the doctor?: My yearly mammogram
Courses completed: 3 Rounds AC Chemo, 10 Rounds Taxol, Bilateral Mastectomy, 25 Rounds Radiation and sometime next month I'm replacing my tissue expander that has a leak.
What was your hardest moment and how did you get through it? The hardest part was the AC chemo. I just put my head down and powered through it. I have very little memory from that time. I just blocked everything out and did what I had to do.
“I just blocked everything out and did what I had to do.”
Any helpful (tangible) tips or tricks you discovered for dealing with your symptoms and/or cancer? When they flushed my port I got that horrible taste in my mouth from the sodium and it would make me nauseous. I started bringing really strong gum to chew and that helped a lot! Also, during my Taxol treatments (when I could drink whatever I wanted), I would bring a Strawberry Cream Tea Latte from Coffee Bean with me and it would settle my stomach.
How did you find joy during this experience? I enjoyed my good days and on the bad days, I tried to focus on the future and not on what was happening. It helped a lot that I had support at work as well as at home.
Did you learn anything about yourself? If so, what was it? That I am a lot stronger than I ever thought possible and I am not scared of surgery anymore.
“That I am a lot stronger than I ever thought possible and I am not scared of surgery anymore.”
